The Pro Photo Business Forum

At the very VERY basic level of professional photography, we must provide “photos that don’t suck.” From there we can move to good photos, then great photos, then ground-breaking earth-shattering photos. But first, we must make sure that EACH photo we provide doesn’t suck.

For example, I’ve recently had several weddings/receptions held in venues with high, dark ceilings. It’s relatively easy to take great pictures when the venue is conducisve to photography, but more of a challenge when conditions aren’t great. So, I have adopted the following mantra: “Grainy” is acceptable, “blurry” is not. Direct-flash is acceptable, washed-out is not.

Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely do NOT want to provide my clients with grainy photos, and I want to use lighting techniques that make folks say “wow.” I want every shot to be technically sound as well as artistic. But you could spend half a reception trying to set up and balance lights without really helping yourself. At the very VERY least you have got to end the evening with a card full of DECENT shots. If the client complains about high ISO or direct flash, you can explain the situation. How will you explain hundreds of blurry or severely underexposed shots? It may not be perfect, but get the shot.

Bryan Lindsey, Houston Wedding Photographer

Have you heard the news about ShootQ? They were bought out by Pictage.

I have never been a big Pictage fan. I have heard the same story from multiple people using Pictage.

The story I hear is that a photographer will post images of a wedding, and then the photographer will inform the client that the gallery has gone live. The client then passes the access information to their friends and family so they can view the images. To get into the gallery, the guests must give their contact information, ie email address.

I then understand that Pictage will contact the guests without the knowledge of the photographer to try and sell/promote photographic products. I don’t know about you, but I feel I should be the only one contacting my clients.

So, I am concerned with Pictage having access to my database of clients. Time will tell if this fear is valid.

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Welcome to the Pro Photo Business Forum. We are a friendly community of business conscious portrait and wedding photographers. Our goal is to help amateur photographers transition into professional photographers by providing a safe environment to ask pressing business questions and receive honest, straight forward critiques of your photography.

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Spray and Pray
by: Bryan Lindsey
Visit us on the web: Houston Wedding Photographer
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We have all probably heard the term “spray and pray.” It refers to the setting of the camera on an automatic mode and then taking as many pictures as possible in the hopes than some of the images will be good. As amateurs, this may be how we got our start – while taking pictures of this and that, every roll of 24 exposures had one or two images that made our friends and family say “wow.”

I cannot think of a worse strategy when it comes to photographing the biggest day in someone’s life. When the big moments arrive we need to be meticulous, steady and sure of ourselves and our equipment.

But can we deploy the “spray and pray” model in other areas of our photography? I argue that we can. Consider these two scenarios: First, we walk into a bridal session. The bride is stunning, the dress is perfect, the light is good, but…the location is terrible. As a pro, we should be able to make this work – we should be able to create art, especially with all the variables that we have going for us. But it just doesn’t come out spectacularly. Maybe we couldn’t connect well with the bride, maybe we couldn’t get creative enough, maybe we got rushed out of the venue, or whatever. The shoot is good, but not the greatness we were hoping for. The second scenario is a thrown together engagement shoot (maybe even a TFC with friends). Two folks show up, not particularly nicely dressed but very much in love. You walk out the front door to go play around, and you come back with portfolio-worthy images.

I’ve experienced both of these scenarios, maybe you have too. The point is that we don’t always know where those killer shots are going to come from. So if we can rein in the “spray and pray” process and make it mean “shoot several different poses” or “shoot several different locations” or “shoot several different sessions,” we can’t help but increase our chance of taking great photos. I honestly believe that every time I bring the camera up to my eye, I have the chance to take the greatest photo that I have ever taken – and I bring that attitude to my sessions and weddings.

So don’t spray and pray in the sense of randomly snapping away without applying photographic principles. But you might be pleasantly surprised at the images you “stumble upon” while you increase the quantity and quality of your shooting.

Who is Bryan, and why should I care?: Houston Wedding Photographer

Arts and Crafts
by: Bryan Lindsey
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Most people are familar with the term “arts and crafts.” It usually brings up images of cutting and pasting construction paper, painting ceramics, or sewing a quilt. But “art” and “craft” fit photography perfectly.

First, we MUST get the “craft” piece. To craft something means to make it and then modify it, to make concious decisions to get the form that you want. Kind of like molding a clay pot or cutting a pattern out of fabric. You can look at what you’ve crafted and discern if it is acceptable – Are the edges straight? Is it the right size? Is it the right shape? Texture?

Similarly, we must always mind the “craft” of photography: exposure. We need to get the best exposure possible in ever-changing situations. Inside, outside, daytime, nighttime, tungsten, fluorescent – this is a challenge, to be sure. We must familiarize ourselves with all of the tools available to help us repeatedly, effectively, and efficiently get the right exposure. And, just as a carpenter needs to know the right tool to use and when to use it, we need to be well-versed in how our camera sees the world and how it makes decisions. We need to practice, and we need to talk with individuals who do understand these principles forward and backward. Regardless of the subject being photographed, there is good exposure and bad exposure.

Second comes the “art” – composition, color, posing, facial expressions, etc. Just as we might paint a clay pot or “bedazzle” our t-shirt, we put our own stamp on our photos by the composition, background, and lighting of our image. Some of these stylistic elements are fairly subjective, and not everyone will “get” everyone else’s art. But this is the piece that makes things fun and interesting.

So go out there, hone your craft, and create some art!

Who is Bryan, and why should I care about what he has to say?: Houston Wedding Photographer

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Black and White – The Tone Zone, Part 2
by: Bryan Lindsey

So, here are a couple tips for converting your color images to black and white (using Lightroom software). First, look at the tonal histogram (aka “tone curve”) – this shows you how much of your image is “highlight,” “light,” “dark,” and “shadow.” When you first convert your image to Grayscale, you probably won’t have the best contrast possible. By playing with these sliders, you can adjust overall tones to give your images the contrast that you want.

We can get even more fancy and play with color channels. Say that you have a brilliant black-and-white image, except the subject is wearing dark blue pants against a dark brown background. Not very contrasty. You can lighten the blue channel only, bringing up the blue tones (just be careful that you’re not unintentionally lightening other blue pieces of the image, like the sky). By using these sliders, you can fine-tune your tones even further.

Meticulously editing your black and white images does take time, but it’s worth it to get those portfolio images JUST right!

Does Bryan know what he’s talking about? See his work at: Houston Wedding Photographer

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Black and White – The Tone Zone, Part 1
by: Bryan Lindsey
Visit us on the web: Houston Wedding Photographer
Fan us on Facebook!

Ever see a really cool black and white shot? What makes it cool? First, it’s a bit of a novelty since we are inundated with color photos taken from our cameras, our phones, in magazines, on billboards, etc. We are used to seeing the world in color, so black-and-white causes us to pause and take notice.

There’s more to it than that, though. A sharp black and white image usually has excellent contrast between the light and dark areas of the photo. Or, if the artist is going for a more moody look, the contrast can be dull, giving the image a soft, dreamy appearance. In either case, the contrast is not necessarily between colors, but between tones. Tones refer to the “lightness” or “darkness” of a an image or pieces of an image regardless of color. You can think of each pixel of your image as having a color value (a mix of red, green, and blue) and a tonal value (on a scale from 0 to 255 with zero = pure black, 255 = pure white). It’s these tonal values that make all the difference when you go to convert a color image to black-and-white. Next time you see a great B&W shot that you like, take notice of the tones – the “lights” and “darks” of the image. When viewing your own color images, notice, not just the colors, but the tones. I’ll bet you find a couple potential B&W gems yourself.

Bryan Lindsey: Houston Wedding Photographer

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Reach for the Summit as Never Before

Recently I was reading a post from a fellow photographer stating that she was now becoming a weekend warrior. That times were tough and she needed to take a day job to make ends meet. She stated that she had worked to hard to lower her prices and adjust to the current economic climate. She didn’t want to compete with the people who were under cutting her. As a single mom she needed to have more security for her kids. A tough decision for sure, but we are living in the worst economy since the great depression and at times like this you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. But should you just give up and go back to the 9 to 5?

This got me to thinking. Why is it that some photographers are flourishing while others are struggling and still others are holding steady? I don’t think that there is an easy, one line, black and white answer to that question, but perhaps there is an under lying principle that we can learn from. A while back I wrote an article entitled “The Size of the Rat.” Therein I addressed the reasons why one mountain climber would reach the summit and the other would fail, even though they were of equal ability. And while determination seemed logical enough, is it still true today?

A change in the weather or economy can sometimes move in and cloud the summit before us. When you lose sight of your goals you may lose the determination necessary to accomplish them. You start to look down at base camp and think, “I could be down in less then an hour drinking hot coffee and eating warm stew.” Then you look back up and the summit is shrouded in clouds. You become unsure of yourself and begin to question your reasons for climbing in the first place. You’re cold and tired, your fingers and toes are numb, and honestly like that stew, a 9 to 5 is sounding really good right now.

You are at a critical junction in you’re life and the decision you make will ultimately lead to your goal or lead to failure. If you’ve lost sight of the finish line, how can you see yourself crossing it? And remember, those who are continually looking back while climbing will eventually slip.

Even in this economy you can succeed. You simply need to keep your goals before you, each and every day. Work towards them, seek out ways to attain them and be ready to make the sacrifices that will no doubt be demanded of you. We’ve all heard the saying, “No pain no gain.” If it were easy everyone would be doing it. Now is the time to refocus on what your goals are and find ways to attain them. Now’s the time to remember what the summit looked like before the clouds set in, now’s the time to reach for the summit and succeed. And remember, if you can succeed in this economy just imagine the rewards you’ll have when the weather moves out and you reach the summit.

Posted by Houston Wedding Photographer | Scott Villalobos

Do you find yourself overwhelmed with ideas and thoughts about how to market, promote, organize, run, or otherwise manage your business?  Have you struggled to find a way to keep track of your thoughts or creative ideas because you forget about them?  If so, you may be a lot like me, and I’d like to share how I handle my overactive stream of consciousness thinking.

Several years ago, I was walking through an office store and I noticed that whiteboards were on sale.  At the time, I was a full-time student and saw the value of having my own whiteboard to work on while during homework and such.

So, fast forward a few years.  We move into our new studio last year and in December I decided to bring out the ‘ol whiteboard.  I cannot say enough about how much that little action of hanging a whiteboard has provided for us.

Here’s how I work it:
So, I’ll be sitting in my office working on something when I get an idea. Or, let’s say I’ve got something business related troubling me.  Or, I’m looking for a new idea for this years bridal shows.   I start by writing the subject of the exploration at the top of the whiteboard: whether it be a topic, or a question.  I then proceed to dump everything in my head onto that board.  I pace. I talk to myself. I write stuff on the board.  I have a 36″ x 48″ whiteboard to fill… so what do I do when it fills? Well, I take a picture of it.

One important note on the way my system works:  I never erase anything from the whiteboard until its been photographed. Including ideas that have been discounted.  I’ll indicate with an “x” or a strikethrough that its not a good idea. But, when I go back to review what we have discussed I want to be able to see the good ideas & the bad ones.  I have a visual memory of our discussion.

On my computer, I have a folder labeled “whiteboard” where I keep the pictures of our whiteboard sessions organized by date and subject. I have pulled them up and reviewed them several times, whenever a topic or discussion was rehashed.  Or, if I needed to simply reference something we had explored.

In the photograph I’ve included, the topic was: “What to we have & how are we using it?”  In other words, I wanted to explore how we were promoting our business,  where we could do better, and what was missing.  You can see that it is very stream of consciousness writing.  I scribble as I think.  Some of the things we use regularly, some we deemed to be ineffective.

All in all, the best thing about having a whiteboard is being able to explore concepts and new ideas from beginning to end and having a way to document them.  I call it “Whiteboard Marketing” because some of our greatest and most successful marketing ideas have been products of whiteboard thought sessions. It has saved us thousands in costly marketing errors and created thousands in the ability to see an idea all the way through.  I would encourage everyone to go forth and scribble!